Menstruation and the Moon

I was taking a while to make my post for today because I had many thoughts running through my mind but was having a hard time keeping organized. I apologize ahead of time to my "male" readers for what I am about to write about, however, I do believe that this is not only a very natural thing and shouldn't be considered gross or weird in any way it's also something pretty cool to read about and know.

I'm sitting here sipping my warm tea with lavender and other blended stuff meant to relax the mind, honestly I just really love the warm feeling as it reaches my belly and eases my cramping. I was never a fan of cramping and much less a fan of my period. I always thought it was unfair that I only get 2 weeks of normalcy in my body each month and the third week is spent binge eating or feeling hormonal and out of whack while the 4th week is spent pretty much in a bleh! kind of state. It's just not something every girl/woman looks forward to.

So I decided to look up menstrual cycles and the moon cycles, why you may ask? well since I have an audience now and I have been making it a point to write every day, I was going to talk about this article I had read once a very long time ago, where it talked about how Native American women many years ago would have these huts with special ceremonial incenses, the women would go and separate themselves from their men and the rest of the village. This was only during their period cycle, in the middle of these huts, they had some sort of coal that would warm up the huts and alleviate their cramps and aches and the incenses and herbs or teas used were to help them heal. It was believed that when a woman was going through her menstrual cycle she was renewing and releasing the old. They were considered to be "sacred" and men were not allowed to touch them or interact with them because they were being renewed.

I always loved reading about sacred rituals like that because it showed the things that women go through as something beautiful or sacred. It's just much nicer than saying things like this is ovulation, this is your menstrual cycle, this is when you are most hormonal, etc, etc.

Anyway! I did a bit of reading and I found out that 70% of women get their period within two weeks of the full moon. That means that our menstruation is in sync with the moon! which in a sense explains why we are so "moody" during the time leading up to it since the moon is the planet that governs our emotions. That's a pretty damn high percentage of women.

So this is what I learned (this is pretty interesting stuff)

Waning Crescent/New Moon (Menstrual Bleeding/Bleeding Phase)- physically there is bleeding, you feel tired and not very active you have possible back pain and cramps. During this time we prefer to be quiet or in silence, this is a time that we should be releasing the beliefs that don't serve us anymore, any negative behaviors or attitudes. It's important to do this so that anything that no longer serves you is not carried with you over into your next cycle. Your intuition is at its highest because your two brain hemispheres are most actively communicating. As your bleeding slows you are to be setting intentions for your new cycle and rising from your retreating time.

Waxing Crescent/First Quarter/Waxing Gibbous Moon (Pre-Ovulation/Follicular Phase)- Your pituitary glands release the follicle-stimulating hormone known as (FSH), it starts sending signals to your ovaries and letting them know "hey it's time to ovulate!", your emotional state physically and emotionally rises, you feel more open to not just people but possibilities all around you. Your confidence rises and you attract more of what you desire into your life, you feel more creative, enthusiastic, and eager to plan your future and start on projects!

Waning Gibbous Moon/Full (Ovulatory Phase)- This is when ovulation happens, physically you are at your strongest and most alert, emotionally your stable, confident, full of energy. Your estrogen levels are high and stable, meaning you feel open, social butterfly, communicative and your mood is just fantastic. It's that time of cycle that you are all about parties, and dates or where you think sharp and quick! calm and logically and of course also when you have that great stamina lol, you are more about your appearances and are more sexually active or flirty (this is basically because your body is like "let's make babies!") lol

Waning Gibbous/Last Quarter/Waning Crescent Moon (Luteal/Pre-Menstrual Phase)- you start to get a lower physical and emotional energy, premenstrual symptoms start, you become anxious, irritable, defensive in an attempt to push others away because you feel you need space or need to be left alone. You feel the need to perform more self-care rituals, restore and honor your body, and aid it's natural cleansing that it so craves. Emotionally you crave baths, massages, warm things, manicures, facials, these things make you feel grounded. You find yourself seeking comfort from family or loved ones. Our hormones at this phase increase our attention to detail and some women become obsessed with cleaning or clearing shit out. It's cleaning time! Emotionally this is when you reflect on your cycle what you did that month what you accomplished, if you grew and released or if you stayed and held onto things. This reflection allows you to strip back and release aspects of yourself that no longer serve you or are required to carry as you anticipate the stage that comes next. Which is releasing everything and starting all over again.

In conclusion, my period is not a bad thing really, it's a gift, it's a gift because every month, I get to shed the old parts of me that no longer serve me and become a better version of myself. (tomorrow I'll be writing about the cool stuff I read about menopause, that was super exciting!) Hope you enjoyed it!